Demonstrators have criticised the monarchy, a subject that was previously off-limits.
Thailand protests: How much is the king worth?
Estimates of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s wealth start at $30bn, but that number may be much higher.
Anti-government protests kicked off in Thailand last year after a pro-democracy party was disbanded for opposing the military government.
The protests escalated and morphed into demands for the monarchy to be reformed. It has long been thought that Thailand’s monarch was the richest in the world.
The country’s economy has contracted more than 6 percent due to the pandemic. Millions are unemployed and there is little prospect of a tourism revival.
Published On 30 Jan 2021
Related
Student activists in Thailand speak the unspeakable as they demand reforms to the monarchy.
A look at the life and legacy of Thailand’s King Bhumibol and the challenges facing his successor.
![Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned the attack saying it not only targets Muslims but 'threatens the common values of humanity' [File: Murad Sezer/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2021-12-01T145200Z_1887636194_RC2Q5R9SGKDH_RTRMADP_3_TURKEY-CURRENCY-ERDOGAN-ELECTION.jpg?resize=170%2C113)
![The fighting between government forces and Tigrayan rebels has killed thousands of people, displaced more than two million and driven hundreds of thousands into famine-like conditions [File: Ben Curtis/AP Photo]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/AP21328556639133.jpg?resize=170%2C113)
![British scientist Sarah Gilbert addresses a press conference at Hotel Reconquista in Oviedo, Spain [Eloy Alonso/EPA-EFE]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/h_57244867.jpg?resize=170%2C113)
![Activists have been demanding a boycott for months over concerns about China's human rights record [File: Frederic J Brown/AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/000_9QY8NH.jpg?resize=170%2C113)